Going Home
by Riddicks Raven
Summary: This is the last story in the Planet of the Dead trilogy. PB and CoR doesn't happen. In this one Riddick starts seeing a ghost, and wonders if he's loosing his mind; but this time Areil is real. The inspiration came from Velvet Revolver's Fall To Pieces.
1. Chapter 1

I've been on the run for a year now. Not that being on the run is new. I've been runnin' almost as long as I can remember. This is different. Not runnin' from a merc or somethin'; this time, I'm runnin' from myself. From guilt. Guilt over their deaths. That's new to me. It's aged me, made me tired, makes me wish this run was over.

I watched 'em burn. The only two people I gave a damn about. Took the ship she had ready for me and split.

I stop to work on space stations only long enough to get the fuel cells recharged and get supplies. Damn I miss her. The way her black hair framed her, her smell, her scars, her eyes. Her eyes.

I killed her.

I unbuckle the harness and try to sleep. She comes to my dreams alot now. Sometimes she's with our son. Sometimes he's still an infant; sometimes he's the little boy he'll never grow to be. Sometimes she's alone. I welcome it when she's alone.

 _Fuck!_ I miss her. I try to sleep. Darkness surrounds me. I'm drifting off...

"Riddick..."

That soft voice that I know all to well wakes me. I feel her touch on my arm. I look over at the co-pilot's seat and expect it to be empty. Just another dream of mine. But...She's there. I smell her, see her, and damn it, I can feel her hand on my arm! I think: _Rick, 'ol boy, your brain has finally cracked._ She walks over to me, and sits astraddle my lap facing me, her legs hanging down beside mine. Just like she sometimes did when she would talk to me. She raises my goggles and looks into my eyes. She always said that my eyes were beautiful. She leans close and kisses me. I can taste her! If I'm dead, I don't care. If I'm crazy...Does it matter?

"I've missed ya Riddick."

"I've missed you, too. It's been a long year since you've been gone. It's been a long year, I've grown old. Am I dead or crazy?"

She smiles that easy smile of hers. "Neither, I'm really here. I've been sent back to ya one last time with a message. He's gonna let us have a little time together, too."

"Who?"

"The one that controls the universe."

"God?" I can't belive this shit. He's taken everything away from me, just to let me have her for a few hours?

Fucker.

"That's only one name. It dosen't matter. I'm here and that does."

I hold her close, putting my head against her breast. She has a heartbeat. This can't be real! But, I don't care anymore. I have her for a little while.

"Your runnin's gonna be over soon. Ya just have one thing left to do. Then ya can come home."

"Home?"

"I'll explain it later. I just wanna hold ya now and look at ya." There are tears in her eyes as she climbs off me. She extends her hand to me, and after I take it, leads me to my sleeping quarters.

We enter the darkness of my room; I call the lights to fifteen percent. Just light enough for her to see. She takes the goggles off my forehead and places them on the small table beside my bed. I let her take off my shirt. She runs her hands over my chest, feeling every cord of muscle, every indented scar. She holds me close with her head on my chest - feeling my warmth, my heartbeat. My chin is on her head.

Why did she have to die?

She kneels down to take off my boots, and I have to put my hands on her shoulders for balance. Standing slowly, she unbuckles my belt and removes my pants. She runs her hands lightly up my legs, across my stomach, finally stopping again on my chest. She takes my face in her hands and kisses me again. I sigh into her mouth and my want for her starts to build. I need to be in her again, to feel her body close around mine. Just one more time.

She breaks the kiss and holds up her arms, wanting me to take off her shirt now. I always liked undressing her. The shirt leaves her body and I look at her. The scars, left by the disease that almost took her life, are beautiful to me. I run my hands over them almost like I did our first time, nearly four years ago. Now it's my turn to kneel. I remove her boots and then slowly, do the same thing to her pants. Raising to my knees, I savor everything I smell on her. I stop at her scar- covered stomach and kiss her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I hold her close and put my head on her belly.

I'm falling down, feeling like I'm falling to pieces.

Why did she have to go?

Forcing myself up, I run my tongue over her body, feeling her shiver. I kiss between her breasts and am tempted to do more, but I know that her neck and shoulder are more sensitive than where I'm wanting to go. Kissing her neck, I feel the shudder that I was waiting for. A kiss turns to a nip; a sigh-tinged moan escapes her lips as she turns her head to expose her neck more. She holds me tight. The nip is harder this time. I hear her gasp as soon as I taste blood in my mouth. Blood? No! I've never hurt her - never! Drawing back, I see the blood on her shoulder, and it hurts me. She sees the saddness in my eyes. Taking my face in her hands, she tells me that it's okay and licks the blood off my lips before she kisses me. It feels so good, I almost can't bare it when she breaks away.

She walks over to the bed, sits down and extends her hand to me. I crawl on hands and knees to the middle of the full sized bed - to her. Lying on top, I hug her and hold her, telling her how much I've missed her. My left hand runs down her side and cups her hip, tugging her leg up, until her knee is bent. She pushes me off of her and makes me lay on my back, looking at my body dreamily, like it's the first time she's seen it. Damn, I've missed her touch. Starting with my feet and working her way up inch by torturous inch, she massages away my worries. Pausing at my waist, this woman that I cherished - cherish - takes extra time with my sack and cock. That velvety touch always drove me wild. I don't think I can take much more. I clamp my palms over my eyes as that gentle touch brings me to full life. I growl. She smiles; I don't have to see her face to know that she smiles.

"So beautiful," I hear her whisper.

My soulmate, if there is such a thing, sits on my lower stomach. She takes those wonderful hands, and works her way up my stomach to my chest, my shoulders and finally my neck. A sigh creeps from me as what feels like the weight of a thousand years is massaged away. I wrap my arms sround her and pull her down until we're touching. I kiss her. I run my tongue across her lips, as she opens her mouth I slip my tongue in and enjoy the warmth there. She wraps her tongue around mine and we taste each other once more. Running my hands down her back, I grab both cheeks of her ass. She moans for me.

I don't think we can last too long.

Breaking our kiss, she sits up and smiles. My baby, my love, scoots back slightly and slides me into place. With one quick thrust, I'm completely buried. A loud gasp of pleasure is released from those lips that have given me so much comfort. Her head goes back with the sound. When she lowers her head to look at me, she smiles and there are tears on her cheeks. Tears of pleasure? She takes my large hands and holds them beside my temples. Looking me eye to eye, I can see how much she loves me. I can't take it any more. I buck into her hard, several times. With each thrust comes a cry from her mouth, a cry of pleasure. She never breaks eye contact. I buck harder, faster. I feel her clamp down on me. She screams her release; I roar mine. My back is arched as far as my body will allow. Neither of us have ever cum so hard in our lives. My body lowers down and I feel darkness cover me. This will be the first time that I've passed out. Slowly the dim light in out room creeps back into my vision. Her hair covers my shoulders.

I roll us onto our sides. "What do I have to do to come home?"


	2. Chapter 2

"What do I have to do to come home?"

"Before I tell ya, there is something that I need for ya ta do for me. For all three of us."

"What?" I ask, stroking her hair and staring into those lavender eyes - even though I know they're brown.

"Stop blaming yourself for our deaths."

"But..."

Placing two fingers on my lips she says, "Sshh. It wasn't your fault. I was ment ta die that day, wheither I was pregnate or not. Wheither ya were on Talon 5 or not. It was just my time. Our son...He was taken ta spare him a harder death later on. One ya wouldn't have been able ta stop. One that would'a totally broken ya. Worse than it has."

"What was gonna happen to him?"

"I'm not allowed ta say. I really don't know for sure myself." Her eyes are sad, and it kills me inside that she feel this guilt that I carry.

"I'll try."

"Good. That's all I can ask. Now then, as for what ya have ta do, I wasn't told. What I was told is that it would be soon. One simple act that ya will do without thinking. One simple act that will redeem ya for anything wrong that ya may have done."

"What! I'm supposed to do this [i]thing[/i], and you can't tell me! When is he gonna quit fucking with my life?!" I slam my fist into the bed beside her head.

My face is only inches from her's as I scream at her. She only smiles and strokes my face. My rages never did scare her. I bow my head so that my forehead is resting above her breast.

"Then can I come home?" I whisper.

"Yeah. There's a path cut out for ya in the timber, it's tricky. Ya have ta follow it home. Ya can't use your sense of smell till you're almost there."

"Will I find you? Can I find you?"

"Yeah. I have the trail marked, like sunset. You'll find me." She holds me close. It makes me afraid that she's gonna leave again.

Too soon. Too soon. I hold her tight, I feel sleep coming to take me but I don't want it. She lays my head on her breast, one arm around my back and the other rubbing my head. She always knew how to put me to sleep, no matter what.

"I won't be here when ya wake up Riddick."

"I know. It was good to be with you one more time."

"Yeah, it was." She hugs me one more time as sleep overtakes me this time. As I slip deeper and deeper in, I hear a faint whisper, "I love ya Riddick."

"I love you too," I whisper back.

I sleep. I dream.

[i]I've been on Talon 5 for four or five days and someone decides to teach me color. She thought that it was strange that I could only see in lavenders and pinks. The rain has slowed down by this time, and she has me stand in the middle of the room and raise my goggles. She holds my hands, tells me to close my eyes and asks me what I see. Being the smart-ass that I am, I tell her "the back of my eyelids." She slaps my arm and tells me to be serious; we both laugh, and I promise too. I close my eyes again and say, "darkness."

"That's black. Come on, no peeking. Squat down, gimme your hand, but don't hurt yourself." I know we're close to the fire, but I let her streach out my hand anyway. "What so ya feel?"

"My hand gettin' hot."

"That's red."

I pull my hand back,and think for a minute. I open my eyes and smile at her. "I see what you're doing. Give me another one."

"Close those beautiful eyes first."

"Yes ma'am." I hear something scrape lightly at the hearth. Sounds like stone on stone. She places it in my hands, and I realize that it's the mineral laced bowl she keeps there.

"It's cool...Almost cold."

"That's blue."

"Blue." I run my hands over it soaking up "blue."

Taking off the top, she places the slick ointment on one hand. "Green."

"Green. I want more." I sound like a little kid. I hear her go out and come in again. She takes the bowl out of my hands, and places a flower in them.

"Smell. I always think of yellow when I smell these."

"Yellow. Beautiful." I open my eyes and hug the person that has started to become a big part of my soul.[/i]

The ship's alarm system tells me that it's time to get up. True to her word, she's gone.

My mind tells me that I should be upset, but my heart has found some relief.

I shower, dress, and check the coordinates. I'll be docking at the space station in about two hours. I wonder what's gonna happen.


	3. Chapter 3

In two hours the tractor beam from the space station has guided me in and docked the ship. I hear word that they need someone in Ship's Maintenance. After finding the foreman, and giving him some story about being on my way to the new colony on Rampus, he agrees to hire me for a week. I give him the name Rick Richards. He teams me with some kid named Bobby. Good enough kid, about twenty-two. Talks alot. Works pretty basic: repair hull damage, wiring removal, cell charge, that sorta thing. Kid's good enough though, gotta hand him that.

My second day there the kid starts talking about how he can't wait for his rotation to be over.

"You gotta hot date junior?"

"Nah. Just want to get home to my wife and kid. See?"

He hands me a picture of a young woman and a baby that can't be over a year old. I didn't thing the kid could shut up long enough to fuck, let alone have a kid. I wonder if that's what they would have looked like. Smiling and happy.

I just want to go home.

"What about you, Rick? You married?" The question snaps me outta my thoughts. I hand him back the snapshot.

"Cute kid," I reply. "Yeah once."

"What happened?"

Figures he would ask. I think of telling him none of his damn business, but I feel time runnin' short.

"Usually this is where I tell you none of your damn business boy, but she deserves for someone to remember that she lived. I ain't gonna be here much longer, I want you to know. So shut up and pay attention."

I take a deep breath. Help me girl.

"My transport ship crashed on this planet four years ago, I was the only survivor. She was the only survivor of a epidemic that killed everyone on that planet. She rescued me from a cryo chamber before the hell hounds could find me. I cared about her. She cared about me. I would have given her anything she wanted. All she wanted was to make sure I was safe, fed, and to keep me warm at night. We were real happy together until she died. I guess you could say I killed her, just as if I slit her throat. She died having our baby; he died a few minutes after her. She was the gentleist soul I ever met. I've done some bad, horriable things in my time. It didn't matter to her one bit. That I was there was what mattered. You take care of that wife and kid boy, you never know how much time you have."

"What was her name?" The kid looks stunned - Huh.

"Her name? I'll never say her name until the day I die. End of story."

"Richards, Jones! We got a ship in with damaged fuel cells. Get in here and replace them!" The foreman bellows.

"Asshole. I'm gonna have a talk with him later."

Walking back to the hanger, my blood freezes. Merc ship. That's the one with the damaged fuel cells? _Shit!_ Just act normal Rick, you're too close now.

We get to the fuel cells, and my blood really freezes. Damaged my ass! There ready to rupture! It's a wonder Mr. Merc made it in. Too bad he did.

We load them on a cart to get rid of them. I hear the boss and the merc talking, looking this way. I hear a soft hissing sound. One of the cell casings is about to rupture! That damn kid is in the way!

"Kid! Get down!" I knock him out of the way, only to land a few feet from the cells on my knees. I see metal give away. I smile. I say her name one last time. "Areil."

It seems to take hours, but in seconds the brightest light and heat engulf me.

I wake up on my side on cool grass. My goggles are gone. Strangley, the light doesn't hurt my eyes. I look around. I'm in the forest on Talon 5! Did I make it? Saving that kid was what I had to do?

There is a trail in front of me that I've never seen before. I start to run down it, following twists and turns everywhere. It forks. Which way? Which way? I see a marker, glowing like the sunset. That's my girl. Everywhere's there's a turn, I find her marker. It feels like I run forever.

Suddenly her scent hits me. I enter the clearing where the trading post is. She's sitting on the porch, in my chair, nursing a child. Our child. Maybe God's not such a fucker after all.

It feels like I only take two steps, and I'm in front of her. She looks up and smiles.

"You made it."

She reaches out her right hand, and I take it. I look down at our son, almost asleep but still nursing.

"He's beautiful."

"Just like his father."

Her shirt is opened down the front. "Got room for a hungry escaped convict and murderer?"

"For you Richard B. Riddick? Anytime."

I sink to my knees, and stroke my son's face. I'm finally happy. Happy to the very fiber of my soul. I cup my hand on the side of her right breast and close my mouth on her nipple. Hot, sweet milk floods my mouth. I hear a sigh of relief comes from her, her hand strokes my head.

"I love ya Riddick."

It's good to come home.


End file.
